Apple MacBook Air 13 (M1, 2020) vs Air 13 M4 (2025)
61
out of 100
VS
69
out of 100
Please select specific configurations for the laptops to get a more accurate comparative review
Review
Performance
System and application performance
Gaming
Performance in popular 3D games
Display
Viewing angle, color accuracy, brightness
Battery Life
Potential battery life in light and average use
Connectivity
Ports, webcam and other interfaces
Portability
Design, materials, durability and usability
Pick the usage scenario that best matches your needs
Value for money (Beta)
Key Differences
Advantages of the Apple MacBook Air 13 M4 (2025)
- Around 85% better multi-core CPU performance in the Cinebench 2024 test
- Can run popular games at about 25-35% higher FPS
- Thinner bezels and 3% higher screen-to-body ratio
- Better webcam recording quality
- Provides 25% higher max. screen brightness: 500 vs 400 nits
Tests and Specifications
Comparison table of test results and technical specsCase
| Weight | 1.29 kg (2.84 lbs) | 1.24 kg (2.73 lbs) |
| Dimensions | 304.1 x 212.4 x 16.1 mm 11.97 x 8.36 x 0.63 inches |
304.1 x 215 x 11.3 mm 11.97 x 8.46 x 0.44 inches |
| Area | 646 cm2 (100.1 inches2) | 654 cm2 (101.3 inches2) |
| Screen-to-body ratio | ~79.4% | ~82% |
| Side bezels | 8.8 mm | 5.6 mm |
| Colors | Silver, Gold, Gray | Black, Silver, Gold, Blue |
| Material | Aluminum | Aluminum |
| Transformer | No | No |
| Opening angle | 130° | 130° |
Size comparison
| Cooling system | Passive | Passive |
| Vapor chamber | No | No |
| Liquid metal | No | No |
Display
| Size | 13.3 inches | 13.6 inches |
| Type | IPS LCD | IPS LCD |
| Refresh rate | 60 Hz | 60 Hz |
| Adaptive refresh rate | No | No |
| PPI | 227 ppi | 225 ppi |
| Aspect ratio | 16:10 | 16:10 |
| Resolution | 2560 x 1600 pixels | 2560 x 1664 pixels |
| HDR support | Yes, HDR10 | Yes, Dolby Vision |
| Sync technology | No | No |
| Touchscreen | No | No |
| Coating | Glossy (Antireflective) | Glossy (Antireflective) |
| Ambient light sensor | Yes | Yes |
Screen space comparison
MacBook Air 13 M4 (2025)
13.6″ (16:10 ratio) = 83.1 in2
MacBook Air 13 (M1, 2020)
13.3″ (16:10 ratio) = 79.5 in2
~4% more screen space
| Contrast | 1069:1 | 1494:1 |
| sRGB color space | 99.8% | 99.9% |
| Adobe RGB profile | 85.9% | 93.4% |
| DCI-P3 color gamut | 98.6% | 99.4% |
| Response time | 35 ms | - |
Max. brightness
Battery
Capacity
| Voltage | 11.4 V | - |
| Full charging time | 2:23 hr | 2:40 hr |
| Battery type | Li-Po | Li-Po |
| Replaceable | No | No |
| Fast charging | Yes | Yes |
| Charging via USB (Power Delivery) | Yes, 65 W | Yes, 70 W |
| Charging port position | Left | Left |
| Charge power | 30 W | 30 / 35 / 70 W |
| Cable length | 2 meters | 2 meters |
| Weight of AC adapter | 172 grams | 170 / 183 / 207 grams |
CPU
CPU name
| Base frequency | 3.2 GHz | 4.46 GHz |
| Cores | 8 (4P + 4E) | 10 (4P + 6E) |
| Threads | 8 | 10 |
| Integrated GPU | Apple M1 GPU | Apple M4 GPU (10-core) |
| Fabrication process | 5 nm | 3 nm |
Benchmarks
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
Cinebench 2024 (Single-Core)
Cinebench 2024 (Multi-Core)
Graphics Card
GPU name
| TGP | 15 W | 18 W |
| Type | Integrated | Integrated |
| Fabrication process | 5 nm | 3 nm |
| GPU base clock | 450 MHz | 500 MHz |
| GPU boost clock | 1278 MHz | 1470 MHz |
| FLOPS | 2.6 TFLOPS | 3.8 TFLOPS |
| Memory size | System Shared | System Shared |
| Memory type | LPDDR4X | LPDDR5X |
| Memory bus | 128 bit | 128 bit |
| Memory speed | 4.27 Gbps | 7.5 Gbps |
| Shading units (cores) | 1024 | 1280 |
| Texture mapping units (TMUs) | 64 | 80 |
| Raster operations pipelines (ROPs) | 32 | 40 |
| GPU performance | 2.6 TFLOPS | 3.8 TFLOPS |
| Blender GPU | 235 | 972 |
| Solar Bay | 6004 | 14646 |
RAM
RAM size
| Channels | 2x4 GB | 2x8 GB |
| Clock | 4266 MHz | 7500 MHz |
| Type | LPDDR4X | LPDDR5X |
| Upgradable | No | No |
Storage
Storage size
| Bus | Custom | Custom |
| Storage type | SSD (M2) | SSD (M2) |
| Channels | 2x128 GB | 1x256 GB |
| Upgradable | No | No |
| NVMe | Yes | Yes |
Sound
| Speakers | 2.0 | 2.2 (2 tweeters and 2 woofers) |
| Dolby Atmos | Yes | Yes |
| Loudness | ~79.6 dB | ~77 dB |
| Microphones | 3 | 3 |
Connectivity
| Wi-Fi standard | v6 | v6E |
| Bluetooth | v5 | v5.3 |
| Fingerprint | Yes | Yes |
| Infrared sensor | No | No |
| Optical drive | No | No |
| Webcam | Above the display | Above the display |
| Webcam resolution | 1280 x 720 | 1920 x 1080 |
| USB-A | No | No |
| USB Type-C | 2x USB 3.1 | 2x USB 4.0 |
| Thunderbolt | Thunderbolt 3 | Thunderbolt 4 |
| HDMI | No | No |
| DisplayPort | No | No |
| VGA | No | No |
| Audio jack (3.5 mm) | Yes | Yes |
| Ethernet (RJ45) | No | No |
| SD card reader | No | No |
| Proprietary charging port | No | Yes |
Input
| Keyboard type | Island | Island |
| Numpad | No | No |
| Backlight | Yes | Yes |
| Key travel | 1 mm | 1 mm |
| Size | 12.1 x 8.1 cm | - |
| Surface | Glass | Glass |
| Windows Precision | No | No |
*Disclaimer! Ports, speakers, display, and other specifications can vary depending on the laptop's specific configuration or region.
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Total votes: 191